Malcolmt Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 I received this little guy in the mail today from someone who felt sorry for the poor critter. This one quite truthfully needed a little love and care. Seems like someone in the field decided to dump about a gallon of glue on him. Apparently he was traded for sharks teeth or something like that. Not sure why anyone would trade a perfectly good arthropod for a tooth of all things. I guess it could have been worse, could have been for a brach... All kidding aside, the owner wanted this guy to be given back a little of its glory and splendor .......as you can see based on how it was received it needed a little help It was however quite obvious that this had a decent potential to be a good prone Penn Dixie trilo that was 39 mm in length and 24 mm wide. I was feeling a little bored and thought why not just get this one done and surprise the owner with something much faster than my normal slow turnaround. Besides this one was not going to be overly complex. The matrix was a known quantity and the phacopids are not that elaborate or delicate...... The first thing that was done was to trim off the excess matrix that was still around and under the bug with a Pferd MST31 air scribe. The goal being to get it into a more uniform place. Next step was to go through my piles of incomplete material from the same location (Penn Dixie) and find a piece of matrix that has a space available on it where this bug could take up residence. A piece was found that had a nice cluster of incomplete eldredgeops rana. Paired up with this bug I thought it might make an interesting piece. Here is the bug placed on that matrix after a pocket was created for the bug to spend the rest of eternity in. The matrix removed from the pocket was ground up and mixed with some Welbond Pro which dries quickly and is perfectly clear when dry. For those who need to know the mixture was about 60% pulverized matrix and 40% Welbond. Total time spent on the piece about 30 minutes at this point Here is the bug after 1 hour of prepping under a scope at about 10x magnification. Prepped with 40 micron dolomite with a .018 nozzle and using a COMCO air abrasion unit at 30 PSI. No airscribe was used once the bug was on the matrix. Here is the bug after a final 1/2 hour of prepping. Some minor restoration of field damage was performed with a two part sculpting product (Apoxie) and some mars black acrylic for coloration was used on perhaps 1% of the fossil. Not bad for perhaps three hours total investment. A piece that was pretty much a non displayable specimen can now be the centerpiece of a Penn Dixie collection PS.... don't always assume that when you purchase a plate of trilobites that that is the way they started out life. By the way this was done with the permission of the owner and they are not being tricked into thinking this is the way it started out. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Very nicely done @Malcolmt !!! RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 You're a wiz... I guess you can kind of tell that it was set in there, with the pulverized rock surrounding it? But I can imagine that an unsuspecting buyer would not notice and realize it didn't belong there if the seller didn't tell them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 12 hours ago, Wrangellian said: You're a wiz... I guess you can kind of tell that it was set in there, with the pulverized rock surrounding it? But I can imagine that an unsuspecting buyer would not notice and realize it didn't belong there if the seller didn't tell them. I could spend another 15 minutes and still smooth all those pulverized bits out with air abrasion. Since it was not my intention to disguise it I did not do that but would consider doing it if the owner wants that done. We'll see what he wants done Alternately I could have put the matrix bits in my mortar and pestle and ground it to a fine powder first. Again since I was not trying to create a fake I did not do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 I'm sure you would be able to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil-Hound Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 @Malcolmt all I can say is wowzers! Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Well done @Malcolmt! You raised that thing from the dead. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 Just now, Ptychodus04 said: Well done @Malcolmt! You raised that thing from the dead. Funny thing is that if I had found that guy in the field I would probably have given it away to one of the little kids that is always swarming around the place..... Good thing it was not me that found it........ it would never have made it to this post.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Lovely piece. I should send you all of my Penn Dixie finds from last month and let you surprise me!!! Summer has been so so busy that I have not even posted about our wonderful trip to Penn Dixie. Hopefully in the next week or two I can provide that post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 1 hour ago, Malcolmt said: Funny thing is that if I had found that guy in the field I would probably have given it away to one of the little kids that is always swarming around the place..... Good thing it was not me that found it........ it would never have made it to this post.... I'm sure you're long beyond picking up anything but the very best from that site. That's how I am at the Mineral Wells site. If it's not spectacular, I wind up giving it away to a kid. Heck, last trip out there I found several perfectly enrolled Ditomopyge trilobites and still gave them away. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil-Hound Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 1 hour ago, Ptychodus04 said: I'm sure you're long beyond picking up anything but the very best from that site. That's how I am at the Mineral Wells site. If it's not spectacular, I wind up giving it away to a kid. Heck, last trip out there I found several perfectly enrolled Ditomopyge trilobites and still gave them away. I will always accept anything from your giveaway pile and I'll cover the shipping! Ditomopyges rule! Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Those are some wonders you worked, great prep job! “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 2 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said: ... Heck, last trip out there I found several perfectly enrolled Ditomopyge trilobites and still gave them away. Ack! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Hey @Malcolmt ! Great work! I'm sure you could start a sideline for a Moroccan dealer if you wanted to Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 11 hours ago, Fossil-Hound said: I will always accept anything from your giveaway pile and I'll cover the shipping! Ditomopyges rule! I'll keep you in mind next time I'm out there. You're out of luck if there are any little kids running around though. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crabfossilsteve Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Hey Malcolmt, yes indeed excellent work on that bug. That will be a very cool display piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 You are an artist! Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 It's difficult to believe the original and final images are the same. What amazing work. John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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